‘Great step forward’: Ratan Tata on Centre buying 56 C-295 military aircraft

Tata Trusts chairperson Ratan Tata said on Friday the Centre’s contract with Airbus Defence to procure C-295 medium transport military aircraft is a “great step forward in opening up of aviation and avionics projects” in India.

The Centre sealed a ₹22,000 crore contract with Airbus Defence and Space of Spain to procure 56 C-295 medium transport aircraft, which will replace Avro-748 planes of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The purchase of the transport aircraft was cleared by the cabinet committee on security two weeks back. The project will be jointly executed by Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). It will equip the IAF with the new transport aircraft under the Centre’s Make-in-India initiative in the aerospace sector.